A Little on the Seabees

19 Apr 2014--Have already relocated to Seal Beach, down by Los Angeles, but we took a quick trip to the Seabee Museum, right outside the Port Hueneme base gate, Friday afternoon. This is a heron on the golf course we noticed as we were out exercising.  Another one with a little tail off it's head.



The museum.



The Seabees are actually construction troops, started at the beginning of World War II.  They generally go in with the Marines, "storming the beaches" if you will, both fighting to gain ground and then building on that ground for other forces to come in to.  They build everything from field latrines to housing to airstrips.

 

I wonder if all Navy men used to look like the guy loading the bomb in the 1st poster?  haha  And can you imagine publishing the 2nd recruiting poster today?  How politically incorrect!  haha



Anyone remember this John Wayne movie?  Some of it was filmed here at Port Hueneme and Cathy has seen it, but I don't remember it.  The 3rd picture is of the Al Asad Memorial Wall, constructed in Iraq in honor of Seabees killed there.  It was moved to this base in 2009 when the airbase there was being turned back over to the Iraqis.



They displayed an extensive history of participation in different wars and some memorabilia...that is a Chinese Heavy Machine Gun captured during the Vietnam War, followed by Uday Hussein's gold-plated rifle captured at his former palace, and then NEMO...an underwater observatory developed here at this base in the 1970s for supervisors to observe underwater construction by their troops.

 

I definitely wouldn't want to be part of the sanitation crew, but I am sure the troops were happy the Seabees built these latrines for them.  haha  I guess, over time, you would get used to going the bathroom beside your buddy?!



Seabee Mascots.  I love the 1st and 3rd...2nd one seems a little hesitant, so I'm not sure I would want him in my foxhole with me!!!  haha



Gotta get ready to go...TTYL!